O's game blog: Ubaldo Jimenez makes season debut against Toronto

Now 2-2 on the season after back-to-back losses that followed a 2-0 start, the Orioles host Toronto here tonight at Camden Yards in the middle game of a three-game set.

Toronto built a 10-1 lead by the fourth inning on Friday and had 16 hits in a 12-5 win that snapped the Orioles four-game home opener winning streak.

The Orioles are now 17-7 in Camden Yards home openers and 12-9 when their home opener is against an American League East opponent.

After hitting just one double during their three-game series in Yankee Stadium, Toronto bashed eight doubles here yesterday. It is the Blue Jays' most since they hit eight on July 20, 2011 at Kansas City.

In tonight's pitching matchup, Ubaldo Jimenez (6-9, 4.81 ERA in 2014) faces 22-year-old rookie right-hander Aaron Sanchez (2-2, 1.09 ERA).

Jimenez got off to a slow start last season, when he went 0-4 with a 6.59 ERA in April, walking 17 over 27 1/3 innings. But he had a strong spring - walking just three over his last 23 innings in Florida - and the Orioles begin to see tonight if that carries over to the regular season.

Sanchez is the Blue Jays' No. 2 prospect who began last year at Double-A and ended it pitching very well out of Toronto's bullpen. When Marcus Stroman was lost for the season, it opened the door for Sanchez to win the fifth starter's spot and he did just that.

His numbers last year were impressive. Over 33 big league innings, Sanchez gave up just 14 hits with nine walks, 27 strikeouts and a .128 batting average against.

Here is the Baseball America scouting report on Sanchez from over the winter:

He has the stuff, body and athleticism to pitch in the front half of a rotation if he throws more strikes or profiles as a dynamic late-game reliever if he doesn't. His control took a significant step forward in the second half of 2014, but has long been his Achilles heel. His walk rate took a significant step forward in the second half, falling from 5.5 per nine in the first half to 2.5 per nine.

Sanchez produces premium velocity with an effortless delivery and loose, quick and easy arm action as the ball explodes from his hand. His fastball sits 92-96 in the rotation, touching 98. Working out of the major league bullpen, Sanchez's fastball averaged 97 and touched 99. His two-seamer has plus-plus life with bat-breaking arm-side run and sink. He produced the highest groundout-flyout (3.3) rate in the Eastern League, and his 65.9 percent groundball rate was the fourth-highest of all 413 pitchers with more than 30 innings, putting him in the 99th percentile. His curveball is at least a plus offering and flashes plus-plus with a very high spin rate, according to TrackMan. Sanchez's changeup, long his third pitch, improved this season and gives him a third plus weapon.

O's pitching allowed just nine runs in the three games against Tampa Bay and then yielded 12 to Toronto yesterday as the team ERA went from 3.12 to 5.40.

Since Chris Tillman gave up just one run over 6 2/3 innings on opening day at Tropicana Field, O's starters have allowed 12 runs in 13 innings the past three games.

Five players from the Orioles organization have been listed among the 10 youngest players in their respective leagues in a survey by Baseball America.

O's pitcher Jason Garcia is the seventh-youngest player in the American League. Triple-A Norfolk pitcher Zach Davies is fifth-youngest in the International League. In the Carolina League, Single-A Frederick catcher Chance Sisco is fourth and outfielder Josh Hart is seventh. In the South Atlantic League, Single-A Delmarva's 18-year-old third baseman, Jomar Reyes, is listed as the second-youngest player.